BREACH OF PRIVILEGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIII, Issue 237, 6 October 1932, Page 10

BREACH OF PRIVILEGE.

ECONOMY COMMISSIONER.

PARLIAMENT TO INQUIRE. OPPOSITION LEADER'S PROTEST. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reporter.) .WELLINGTON, this day. Statements made by Mr. A. Macintosh, a member of the National Expenditure Commission, in an addendum to the final report of the commission were declared, by the decision of the House yesterday afternoon, to constitute a breach of privilege. The Prime Minister, Mr. Forbes, undertook to have a committee set up so that Mr. Macintosh could appear before it and substantiate his statements.

The question was raised by the Leader of the Opposition, Mr. H. E. Holland, who said that in the addendum definite charges were made against members of the House which seemed to be a distinct breach of privilege. At his request, the Clerk of the .House read the first twelve lines of Mr. Macintosh's addendum.

These were: "An individual expression of opinion in conjunction with a general concurrence in the views eet out in the report may be of some service in respect to certain features that have come prominently under observation, and it may, therefore, not be out of place to state briefly that evidence adduced and information otherwiee at the disposal of the commission indicate unmistakably that the financial difficulties under which the Dominion is at present labouring are, in large measure, attributable to the people themselves through their representatives in Parliament, many of whom, by way of placating constituencies, and, possibly, securing continuity of membership, have, year after year, made inroads on the Treasury for various objects; in numerous instances, with no prospect of an adequate, or any, return on the expenditure involved. Unpalatable though it be to thus apportion blame, affording, as it may, scope for attack under cover of privilege when outspoken adverse comment is sometimes unfortunately not appreciated, it ie, nevertheless, a fact that research and evidence proves inconteatably the accuracy of this statement." "Almost a Charge of Corruption." Mr. Holland then said* that he held that the expressions used by Mr. Macintosh constituted a distinct, breach of privilege, and it would be a bad day for Parliament and for the country when statements of that nature could be made without requiring that they be ' substantiated. If charges of that nature were to be made, amounting almost to charges of corruption, the evidence was wanted. If charges were made against him personally, he wanted them specifically stated, and as the charges referred to every member of the House, he thought that the Prime Minister would that action was necessary. He urged that a committee be set up to deal with, the whole matter and report back to the House. He moved that the words. he had quoted constitute a breach of privilege.

Mr. Speaker ; (the Hon. Sir Charles Statham) and that all the House had to do was to decide if a prima facie case had been made out. The question also arose as to whether the report containing the words complained of should bo allowed to remain on the table of the House. Mr. Forbes "Used to Criticism." The Prime Minister said that he had not noticed any breach of privilege. He was so used to criticism that he did not take a great deal of notice of it. It was not unusual for the charge to be made that members of Parliament had given their support to various proposals under pressure from their constituents. If the Leader of the Opposition felt that the statements he complained of went beyond ordinary criticism, he had no objection to the motion. He did not think that the addendum had any bearing on the report, which was quite as valuable without the addendum as with it. >

Mr. W. E. Parry (Labour, Auckland Central): Doesn't it show the mind upon which the report was based?

The Prime Minister: It shows the mind of the member who made it out.

Mr. Speaker expressed his opinion that a prima facie case had been made out, and if the motion were carried the man who wrote the addendum could be brought before the committee and asked to substantiate his statements.

The motion was carried without dissent, and it was left to the Prime Minister to arrange for the setting up of a special committee.

The Prime Minister announced that the cost of the commission -was £1591. He said it had been a very economical commission.